Jerry Springer: former politician who presided over a tawdry TV circus

TV host who died last week earned millions from modern-day ‘freak show’

Jerry Springer
Springer ended each show with the sign-off: ‘Take care of yourself, and each other’
(Image credit: Virginia Sherwood/Getty Images)

Jerry Springer was a former lawyer and politician who became one of the most controversial figures on US television, said The Sydney Morning Herald.

His daytime talk show, The Jerry Springer Show, was launched in 1991, and ran until 2018. When it started, it covered topical news; then, with its ratings falling, it transformed itself into a modern “freak show”, in which “ordinary people” – mostly the poor and socially marginalised, and including a steady stream of white supremacists – were encouraged to air their secrets and scandals in front of a baying studio audience. Springer, sensibly dressed in dark suits, acted as ringmaster.

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